PUSCIFER featuring Maynard James Keenan

Carina Round

PUSCIFER featuring Maynard James Keenan

"While one might imagine Maynard James Keenan would have enough going on to keep him busy as a frontman with the groups Tool and A Perfect Circle, in 2007 he decided to record an album under yet another name with Puscifer. Described by Keenan as "the space where my Id, Ego, and Anima all come together to exchange cookie recipes," Puscifer first appeared as the name of a fictional band Keenan fronted in a cameo on the HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show in 1995. It wasn't until 2003 that Keenan actually recorded under the name, when he teamed up with Danny Lohner for a track called "Rev 22:20" for the Underworld soundtrack, and it wasn't until four years later that he set to work on an entire Puscifer album. Organized less as a traditional "rock band," and more as a musical collective in which Keenan could work with a rotating lineup of likeminded artists, Puscifer's early recording projects featured a large cast of noted musicians, including Tim Alexander from Primus, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk from Audioslave and Rage Against the Machine, former King Crimson member Trey Gunn, violinist Lisa Germano, pop singer/songwriter Jonny Polonsky, and actress and vocalist Milla Jovovich.

The first product of Puscifer's new life was a single issued in early October 2007; the A-side was "Cuntry Boner," a gleefully offensive song originally recorded by Electric Sheep (a short-lived punk band featuring Adam Jones and Tom Morello years before they would respectively join Tool and Rage Against the Machine), while the flip side was a cover of the Circle Jerks' "World Up My Ass." Later the same month, Puscifer's debut album, V Is for Vagina, was released; like the single, it was released in the United States by Keenan's own Puscifer Entertainment label, and it featured ten original songs, many of which were dominated by slow but potent dance grooves rather than Tool's prog metal textures. Keenan has said the group has no immediate plans to tour, but he is collaborating with several filmmakers on short movies based on the songs, which could be shown at live performances. In April of 2008, a remix album of V Is for Vagina titled V Is for Viagra: The Remixes was released and featured contributions from members of Nine Inch Nails, Telefon Tel Aviv, Ministry, and Slipknot, among others." - Mark Deming, AllMusicGude

Carina Round

Carina Round has carved a singular path in music with her inimitable voice and stirring compositions. Her uncompromising vision and thrilling versatility have garnered her an immensely passionate fan base that includes many artists. Her forthcoming album, due out in Spring 2012, features some of her notable champions including Smashing Pumpkins’ front man Billy Corgan who contributes guitar to ‘Go...t To Go (The L.A Song)’ and the legendary Dave Stewart and Brian Eno who co-wrote the track ‘The Secret of Drowning’.

Carina is giving everyone an early taste of the thrills to come with her new single ‘The Last Time’ featuring Sierra Swan and a video directed by Scott Rhea. She will also release the Puscifer remix of her track ‘Girl and the Ghost' on November 8th on Limited Edition 7” Vinyl through Manimal Records and digitally worldwide through The Orchard.

Growing up in Wolverhampton, England, Carina, starting from a very young age, always had an affinity towards music and began to follow her musical dreams. Never losing sight of her goals, her determination and passion led to the recording of her first album First Blood Mystery (2001). Shaped in erratic but gripping sounds, her love of legends Patti Smith and Jeff Buckley resonates undeniably.

The follow-up and Interscope re-released debut album: The Disconnection (2004) took those influences into much more powerful and personal realms. It landed Carina worldwide exposure in the process, which ultimately brought her career to Los Angeles, California. The relocation proved worthwhile. For Slow Motion Addict (2007), Carina teamed up with notable producer Glen Ballard to create a bewitching and seductive new album. Accompanying the release was a 12-part episodic series that cleverly coincided with each track, creating a visual story for the album. It gave Carina another medium to showcase her artistic ability by acting and starring as the troubled lead character, Maisie Scarlett.

Two years later, Carina self-released the EP Things You Should Know that resulted in much critical success, having multiple film & TV shows feature her music as well as multiple radio stations, including KCRW, champion her music. Opportunities came flooding in to work with other artists Carina has admired over the years. She began touring with Puscifer, Tool’s Maynard James Keenan’s band, and worked on their new album Conditions of My Parole, which is set to be released on Oct. 18th, 2011. She also sang vocals on The Twilight Singers new album Dynamite Steps along with other artists Nick McCabe (The Verve), Mark Lanegan, and Ani DiFranco. In addition to this, Carina moved into the world of composing and writing for film, working with the award winning film composers John Debney and Glen Ballard on a song that was composed for the film Valentine’s Day, writing with Academy Award winner Marco Beltrami, as well as various others.

In one of Carina’s co-writing sessions, a band was created called Early Winters with EMI Canadian artist Justin Rutledge, L.A. producer/musician Dan Burns and multi-instrumentalist Zac Rae. The band released a self-titled EP in 2010 that was partly recorded using Skype and video chat due to the members being in 4 different countries. The EP has received numerous film and TV placements and accolades, including many radio stations that were early supporters, for its addictive hooks, far-flung emotions, and intimate sound.